


A Step Up

by dearmrsawyer



Series: pokémon au [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Gen, Louis being cranky at Liam, Louis being scared of Bug types, Pokemon Evolution, Zayn owning adorable pokemon, all the important things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-10 17:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19909573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearmrsawyer/pseuds/dearmrsawyer
Summary: One of Louis' pokémon accidentally evolves (and it's Liam's fault). A prequel toYou Teach Me and I'll Teach You.





	A Step Up

It’s the first mild day they’ve had in weeks, and the second Louis was on his feet Growlithe was pawing at the door. Jolteon cottoned on almost immediately; Louis knew there was nothing for it and sent out a call to the lads.

“Louis, can you _please_ get Jolteon to ease up?”

“What’s he doing?”

“Teddiursa is halfway up a tree.”

On the other side of the park, Louis spots Teddiursa straddling a low-hanging branch. Beneath him, Jolteon’s front paws are stretched up the trunk and is bouncing eagerly on his back legs.

Louis flaps his hand carelessly. “He’s just having a play, getting Teddiursa socialised.”

Zayn pops to his feet with rescue in his eye.

“Sometimes it worries me that you’re one of the head pokémon caretakers in the city,” Liam says in disbelief.

Jolteon’s tail whips backand forth so fast Louis thinks he sees a spark. In a brief flash of panic he presses his fingers to his bottom lip and whistles. Jolteon’s ears perk and he proudly trots over, leaving Zayn free to gently coax Teddiursa back down to ground level.

“Maybe a little gentler around some of your friends,” Louis suggests, ruffling Jolteon’s mane. Static builds up between his fingers.

Without warning, Jolteon is off like a shot again, chasing something that whizzes through the playground like a little tornado. Wood chips whip out from beneath it in every direction. Mankey climbs the monkey bars to escape and a few fly clean through Haunter, who barely flinches.

“Cool it!” Liam shouts with a sharp clap of his hands. Phanpy immediately pops out of her destructive little ball and Jolteon whizzes past, unable to stop his momentum.

Louis picks a few errant wood chips out of his lap. “Well that’s new.”

“The second she learnt Rollout she hasn’t stopped. The gym's a mess, dad’s gonna kill me,” Liam groans.

“Jolteon finally has someone to help expend his energy,” Zayn says, dropping beside them. Teddiursa huddled is against his chest, but the second they’re seated he climbs up over Zayn’s shoulder, and hangs from his back, arms wrapped around his neck.

“You’d have energy to burn too if you were made of electricity.” Louis thinks the reason he was initially drawn to Jolteon was because he’d been saddled with many of the same complaints Louis himself had received as a child. They were kindred spirits in a way.

“No Niall today?” Liam looks around, like this has just occurred to him after half an hour together.

Zayn shakes his head. “Ranger duty. Heavy traffic to Veridian City this week. There’s only a few weeks till Indigo League so it’s the last rush of trainers trying to get enough badges to qualify.”

“Don’t envy him. Barely saw him this time last year, he was working so late every day.”

“Rescuing wayward trainers paralysed by the local bug pokémon,” Louis snickers, but then softens. “It’s a busy season for Poison Stings at the Centre as well.”

Louis had left Nurse Jay doing overtime the night before to ensure their potions were well-stocked for the season.

Phanpy trots over, evidently having heeded Liam’s discipline as a summons, but when she gets closer her trunk wiggles and she side-steps Liam to get to Zayn. She traces her trunk around where he’s seated, then Zayn yelps when it slips up the back of his shirt.

“You got some food hiding under there?” Louis laughs.

“I was testing a new recipe this morning,” Zayn stutters, trying to balance Teddiursa, who has climbed up onto his shoulder and has a good grip around Zayn’s head. Phanpy’s trunk pops up through the collar of Zayn’s shirt.

“Think you could lend a hand?” Zayn turns his one visible eye on Liam, who’s laughing delightedly.

“Maybe be grateful that it isn’t any of Liam’s other pokémon frisking you down,” Louis grins. “Hitmonchan wouldn’t be so—”

But Louis doesn’t finish that thought, because just as he spots Hitmonchan throwing a few punches on the other side of the park, he sees another pokémon glowing blindingly bright at his side. So bright that Louis can only just see that it is somewhat Growlithe-shaped before it starts to morph.

“Oh you’re joking…”

All the other people and pokémon in the park have gone very still as Louis stumbles to his feet. The light swells and reforms, more than doubling in size before fading back to reveal—

“Arcanine!” a little girl with saucer-wide eyes cries with glee.

“An _Arcanine_!” Louis shouts. He turns to Liam, breathing hard.

“Woah,” Zayn hums, impressed.

“Congratulations, Louis!” Liam beams, halfway to his feet when Louis socks him in the shoulder. “Hey?”

“Congratulations, Payno? Congratulations?”

“… Yes?”

“Your Hitmonchan just provoked Growlithe into evolution!”

“Isn’t that…” Liam’s eyes dart between Louis and Zayn, “good?”

“Do I look like a trainer, Liam? Do I look like I’m trying to evolve my pokémon into their toughest, most _enormous_ selves?”

“I’m sorry—”

“This is what happens when I let my pokémon socialise with gym pokémon,” he rants, one hands sweeping out. “They get all confused into thinking life’s one big training session!”

“They can’t help it,” Liam winces. “That’s what they’re used to. They’re—”

But Louis doesn’t find out what they are, because Arcanine has made a beeline for Louis and knocked him clean off his feet. Louis lands with a hard “Oof!” on his back, and Arcanine clambers over his, panting happily like he’s done Louis proud. He licks a very wet, very much larger-than-usual stripe up the side of Louis’ face.

“Hey boy,” Louis gasps, scritching Arcanine’s muzzle with both hands. “Had a—growth spurt, didn’t you?”

Arcanine barks in the affirmative.

“Really—quite—huge.” He heaves at Arcanine’s chest so he can sit up, and Arcanine drops down beside him, rolling over for a belly rub. There’s a buckling crunch.

“My glasses!” Liam mourns.

“Just desserts,” Louis points firmly.

***

Louis can’t breathe. His face is freezing and the rest of him is sweating. He opens his eyes to see his cheek is pressed up against the wall, and when he tries to shuffle back there’s something equally as solid behind him.

“What's—oh god, Arcanine!”

A great big head pops up from the mountain of fur taking up the vast majority of his bed. Arcanine shakes his head and the whole bed rattles.

“You can’t—fit—” Louis pushes against him to make space, wriggling over inch by inch until Arcanine hops off the bed to avoid falling. Air rushes in, relieving his overheated skin.

“You’re too big,” Louis huffs, dropping his head on the pillow. He stretches his legs to avoid a cramp, and Arcanine rests his head on the edge of the bed. Louis scratches up the ridge of his nose with two fingers, like he’d always done with Growlithe as a puppy.

“Don’t think you can sleep up here anymore, buddy. There’s not enough room for the two of us.”

Arcanine tips his head sadly, and lifts one paw up on the bed.

“No no—I’m sorry, I know. You gotta stay down there. I’ll buy you a proper bed tomorrow, promise.”

Arcanine pulls back and curls up across the entire rug. One foot can’t fit, and his nails skitter across the floorboards every time he tries to tuck it in.

Louis closes his eyes against the dim edge of the dawn shining behind his blinds, hoping he can get a couple more hours sleep, when Arcanine starts to whine.

It’s not until about seven minutes before his alarm that Louis gets Arcanine settled with a hand on his head over the side of the bed. As soon as his phone chimes, Arcanine jumps to his feet and stampedes out the door, ready for breakfast. The floorboards creak under his new weight.

As Louis drags himself upright and into the hall, he hears a strangled cry from the kitchen. He turns the corner to see Niall sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal held above his head and Arcanine with both paws on the table, trying to reach.

“Down!” Louis claps twice, sharp, and Arcanine’s ears prick. He sends the table skidding a few inches when he pushes off and follows Louis to the cupboard that holds his food.

Louis pours the usual serving of Zayn-made blend, squints at Arcanine towering over him, and triples the serving.

“Something happen yesterday?” Niall squeaks, cereal now clutched protectively to his chest. He’d still been on shift when Louis went to bed last night.

“Hitmonchan,” Louis says, dropping into a chair with his eyes still mostly closed.

“Guess we can’t hide stuff on the top shelf anymore.”

“We’re gonna have to start locking the cupboards.”

Louis cracks one eye open to spy the cereal in Niall’s bowl, but instead spots something green and spindly he’d overlooked in the centre of the table.

He almost tips backwards pushing himself back.

“AGAIN!”

“Spinarak, meet Louis!”

“ _Spinarak_!”

Louis dives over the back of the couch when Spinarak scuttles forward.

“STOP BRINGING THEM HOME.”

“Lou, say hi!”

“You’re creating an infestation in this house,” Louis moans into a cushion.

“Come on, he’ll be nice to have around. And he’s so small! Barely takes up any room at all. Think we’ll need a bit of that now.”

Louis thinks about how easy it is to sneak up on bug-averse people when you’re small, and wonders if he prefers this fresh nightmare being small, or rather bigger and easier to spot. But then an image of something bigger and redder and spinier superimposes over the picture of Spinarak sitting on the table, and Louis thinks of his recent experiences with pokémon growing much larger than they need to be, and his heart stops.

He pops up from behind the lounge, pointing a very emphatic finger in Niall’s direction.

“Do NOT let Liam invite that over for a play date!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find the tumblr post [here](https://dearmrsawyer.tumblr.com/post/182215832241).


End file.
